Lucas Grady Ranch fallout spurs county war on red tape

Spurred by the dramatic collapse of Lucasfilm's Grady Ranch studio proposal, Marin officials want to streamline the development review process in order to facilitate projects that are in line with county planning policies.

To do that, county officials are poised to give a citizens committee a broad charter to study everything from reform of state environmental law to making it easier for projects to get permits by cutting red tape.

Rather than assign the job to the county Planning Commission, officials favor creating a committee representing interest groups that can work with a consultant on a program aimed at paving the way for projects in tune with county policies.

County supervisors will convene in an informal "workshop" session at 9 a.m. Tuesday to discuss ideas about how to make life easier for projects that are in accord with planning policies or that promote public benefits.

A look at development review procedures was pitched by Supervisor Steve Kinsey after Lucasfilm abandoned its Grady Ranch film studio project, prompting county Community Development Agency chief Brian Crawford to recommend a program to "identify and evaluate strategies for facilitating the review of development projects" consistent with county policies.

A "working group" representing an array of special interests and stakeholders guided by a special consultant could focus on efforts "to reduce bureaucracy, achieve a more timely process for reviewing development proposals, and allow for greater consumer choice and flexibility for permit-related services," Crawford said in a memo to the county board.

To promote public policy goals, officials could expand a fee reduction program for projects that "promote the countywide plan and targeted industries in Marin," he said.

Areas of interest include reform of the California Environmental Quality Act, perhaps as part of the county's annual legislative program, Crawford said. "In addition, county environmental impact review guidelines could be reviewed for potential improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of implementing CEQA," he said.

He noted permit process improvements could maximize flexibility in permit options — including permits issued based on inspection of digital images, rather than on-site visits.

Crawford recommended that supervisors consider establishing an advisory committee composed of "key interests," including representatives of a community advisory organization, "social equity," the building industry, Planning Commission, an environmental organization, "sustainability," business, affordable housing and an architect-engineer, according to the memorandum. He urged a consultant be retained to manage the panel.

The plan to ease the way for projects that meet planning guidelines or promote public benefits follows the withdrawal of plans by billionaire George Lucas for a studio complex at Grady Ranch. The project was approved by the county in 1996, then scaled back by Lucas and resubmitted for review. It would have created hundreds of local jobs and generated millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Once the application was deemed complete, a process that took more than a year, the project was put on a fast track for environmental and county review, and won unanimous support from the Planning Commission Feb. 27. Lucasfilm consultants sought to expedite review by other regulators, but state and federal agencies demanded revision of a creek restoration plan. No one told the county about the creek issue until the county board was scheduled to approve the project, forcing supervisors to delay action April 3, when a lawyer for neighbors warned that procedural violations related to the evolving creek plan established firm ground for a lawsuit.

Lucasfilm, concerned that neighbors would sue, pulled the plug on April 4, noting litigation could delay construction for years.

As stunned officials pleaded with Lucas to reconsider and pledged to mount a vigorous legal fight, San Rafael-area Supervisor Susan Adams stepped from the sidelines to join colleague Steve Kinsey in quarterbacking a "hail Mary" effort to woo Lucas back. The two supervisors met with regulators April 18 to resolve creek issues and announced permits could be issued by June 15. But Lucas said the game was over, and is now working with the Marin Community Foundation to study affordable housing at the site.

Nona Dennis of the Marin Conservation League, a veteran environmental watchdog who said neighbors had legitimate complaints about how the Lucas project was handled, noted Crawford's plan for a panel to analyze procedures is apparently "fall-out" from the saga. But easing regulations was not the issue at Grady Ranch, "where coordination and communication should have been the operative terms, not streamlining," she said. "CEQA was not the problem."

"Where water and wetland resources are involved, (Marin Conservation League) will strongly defend the technical expertise brought by the state and federal permitting agencies," Dennis said. She noted regulatory agencies "are committed by law to protect public trust resources ... but they also work with applicants to improve projects." The Sir Francis Drake Boulevard rehabilitation project in West Marin, for example, was substantially improved by outside regulatory agencies.

Supervisors Adams and Kinsey welcomed the plan to study planning and permit procedures.

Supervisors must "take an active leadership role in improving the process for moving key projects which have countywide significance," Adams said. "The answer is not to eliminate CEQA, but rather re-evaluate what is working and what isn't and implementing rational changes." The county must also focus on "improving the process and coordination with the myriad of regulatory agencies and finding solutions to halting spurious lawsuits," she said.

Kinsey said Lucasfilm's "decision to call it quits on the Grady Ranch galvanized our board's determination to better support projects that are consistent with our countywide plan goals. While the demise of Grady has put our approval process in the spotlight, the Board of Supervisors has been working on this issue for several years, with some success.

"This next step is intended to benefit every applicant, from homeowner to the largest business, who presents a proposal that reflects our established guidelines."